How Fathers Care for the Next Generation: A Four-Decade Study

Rating:
Summary: A good textbook
Review: In the 1940s, a longitudinal study was begun on the subject of how fathers' childrearing styles influenced the next generation. The researchers followed the then young men, through their own childrearing. Combining heartwarming interviews with the fathers and their firstborn children, with statistical analysis, the researchers examine the various effects that the fathers had.

This book was quite obviously written as a textbook, and it suffers from all of the deficiencies that that style has for casual readers: dry, academic text combined with scholarly jargon. However, taking that into account, I must say that it is quite an interesting read. Both touching and informative, I give this book a qualified recommendation.

For those of you who are interested in generational studies, the fathers were all of the Silent generation, while the firstborn children were uniformly Baby Boomers. Also, Messrs. Strauss and Howe and their book Generations are referenced in this book.

Rating:
Summary: Superb Study of Dads
Review: John Snarey's book, How Fathers Care for the Next Generation, is a superb study of men in families. Snarey draws from a four-generation, four-decade study of men to show that the impact of good fathering lasts over a life time, and even over generations. With both statistics and stories, Snarey shows how various types of fathers' involvement in their children's lives is linked to their daughters' and sons' educational and occupational success. Equally remarkable, the book shows how fathers' involvement with their children forecasts their own work success and marital happiness years later at midlife.